Staff

Nicole Aranda

Development and Administrative AssociateBaltimore City & Prince George’s County Officesnaranda@ndc-md.org(410) 233-9686

Nicole is NDC’s resident west-coaster and “jill-of-all-trades”; in charge of smoothing out office procedures, human resources and fundraising development. Having studied Human Development and Sociology with an emphasis in Social Services at the University of California, Davis and having received a Master’s in Social Work at the University of Washington; Nicole’s schooling and career focus has been elevating the physical and mental health of disadvantaged women and children, anti-racist community-centered practice and radical transformative change work. As a design and architecture fan, she is delighted to be able to combine her interests and experience in supporting NDC’s design equity work with local communities. Her most appreciated honed skills are being able to use ragtag leftovers to make something delicious and having long imaginative talks with children.

Quinton Batts

MICA MASD FellowBaltimore City Office

Quinton is a Virginia native and received his BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he studied the intersection between business and the arts. His main research has been focused around community design and how to create equitable communities. Currently, he is pursuing his Masters from the Maryland Institute College of Art, studying Social Design. He is excited to for the opportunity to collaborate with NDC on its on-going capacity building work with the Duncan Street Miracle Garden Project. In his free time, he enjoys discovering hidden gems in the city and watching football. Unfortunately, he’s a die-hard Washington D.C. football team fan.

Katryna Carter

Katryna heads the Baltimore office’s Community Design Works program, connecting passionate designers with dedicated neighborhood groups to advance community-based design solutions. She is an experienced project manager with a background in and passion for using design and creative placemaking in service of social change. Katryna has more than a decade of design experience, working across non-profit, commercial and government sectors. She holds a Bachelors of Architecture degree from Howard University and Masters in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. Outside of the office, you can find Katryna dancing her heart out to 90s hip-hop and soulful house music.

Jennifer Goold

Jennifer Goold joined the Neighborhood Design Center in 2012 after more than a decade of work in cultural resources management, historic preservation, development and planning. At NDC, she directs all aspects of the center’s operations including staff, programs, outreach, and fundraising. A Baltimore resident since 1993, she has been involved in many of the city’s largest historic building rehabilitations, including the American Can Company, Silo Point and Tide Point. She received a BS in Interior Design from Indiana University and an MS in Historic Preservation from Columbia University. Hailing from Boone County Indiana, Jen’s early years included 10-year 4H membership including winning the title of master showman.

Briony Hynson

Briony undertakes Design Leadership initiatives at NDC’s Baltimore and Prince Georges offices. Previously, as the founding creative director of Honfleur Gallery, Briony employed varied approaches to build creative capacity via revitalization efforts in Washington DC’s Ward 8. Her recent work in Baltimore City, investigating public spaces that promote access to play within underserved areas, culminated in the Robert W Deutsch Foundation Social Design Fellowship in 2012-2013. Hynson has a BFA in Sculpture from Alfred University and an MA in Social Design from MICA. The lynchpin of her work is understanding community and the shared built environment to leverage positive social change. Briony enjoys building things.

Maura Dwyer

Maura Dwyer is a northeast Baltimore native, and a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture. For the past several years, she has worked with mural collective, Spectrum Murals, to transform education spaces into interactive learning environments through visual design. In addition, she has taught mural workshops across Maryland through Young Audiences, and participated in Baltimore City’s annual arts festivals, including Artscape and Light City. Over the next year, she’ll support NDC’s Place Matters program, which partners with community leaders to build neighborhood capacity. In her free time, you can find her volunteering, visiting art shows, lectures, and learning more about the history of Baltimore.

Malik Johnson-Williams

Malik is a master’s student at the University of Maryland, College Park studying architecture and community planning. Malik assists in the Prince George’s office’s Community Design Works program focusing on issues of neighborhood planning, streetscaping, community engagement, and placemaking. As life-long resident of the county, he is proud to use his skills as designer to effect change in the local community. Outside of NDC, Malik enjoys exploring the region through Pokémon Go and playing Dungeon & Dragons with his friends.

Johnny Macon, MLA

As a Project Coordinator, Johnny works in the Baltimore City office on the Community Design Works program. A 2008 graduate of the Master of Landscape Architecture program from Morgan State University, Johnny has worked in community planning, GIS, land planning, and residential design. Most recently, he had an extended experience with student and professional development for undergraduates in the School of Architecture + Planning; helping to shape the next generation of design professionals. Johnny is from west Baltimore and brings his eyes and ears from living in the city to inform his efforts as a professional.

Yasha Magarik

Program CoordinatorPrince George’s County Officeymagarik@ndc-md.org

(301) 850-1462

Yasha is the Program Coordinator for Prince George’s County’s Right Tree, Right Place Program. He has a Master’s of Forestry from Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, where he planted trees with the New Haven Urban Resources Initiative, researched urban forestry mensuration with the US Forest Service Philadelphia Urban Field Station, and created an urban forest management plan for the Hill neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut. Previously, he worked in California for the Woolman Semester School, the Leichtag Foundation / Community Health Improvement Partners, and Coastal Roots Farm on a variety of food system, farming, and agroforestry-related projects. When not at work, he loves biking, bonsai, and bread-baking, and can sometimes be caught rendering landscapes and buildings into incoherent drawings in a little black sketchbook. His favorite tree is Ginkgo biloba.

Nick Maletta

Forestry TechnicianPrince George’s County Officenmaletta@ndc-md.org
Nick Maletta is the Forestry Technician for the Prince George’s County Right Tree Right Place program. Besides his urban forestry work at NDC, Nick is pursuing a graduate degree in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland, University College. He was recently awarded a fellowship with the Maryland Forestry Foundation to assist in the creation of an Urban Forestry Careers Camp for mid-Atlantic high school students.

Rachel McNamara

Rachel’s deep knowledge of and love for plants lead her from a young age to pursue Landscape Architecture. She studied at Penn State, graduating with a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture, and is a certified arborist as well as a certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional. As Program Manager of Stormwater Savvy at thePrince George’s office, Rachel leads communities in landscape master planning with a stormwater and community-enhancement focus, and designs public amenities such as stormwater pond landscapes and rain gardens. Rachel spends her free time reading, doing yoga, running/swimming/biking with her dog Kona, and enjoying Baltimore’s food scene.

Sophie Morley

Sophie is an architect with a background in inclusive design and international development. She came to NDC from her home city of London where she was working on affordable housing projects for charities, social landlords and Councils. Since 2010 she has been collaborating with the architecture organization Architecture sans Frontieres leading projects in Ghana, South Africa and Sierra Leone. She has taught architecture at several UK universities and her teaching focuses on equitable practice and social justice in the built environment. When not in the office Sophie likes to travel and ride her bike.

Laura Robinson

Laura is a landscape designer with a background in field biology and graphic communication. Her work at the Prince George’s County office focuses on the Arbor Day Every Day program and landscape design and community engagement projects that help increase tree canopy and green spaces in the county. Before NDC, Laura worked in residential design, environmental education, and information technology. She received a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Media Arts and Design from James Madison University, and more recently received her Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Maryland. Outside of the office, Laura enjoys walking her two senior dogs, attempting woven art, and hiking in Shenandoah.

Marita Roos, RLA, AICP

Marita is a landscape architect and planner who writes, designs, plans, builds and teaches with the aim of enlarging our participation in the urban/natural environment. Marita directs program activities at NDC’s Prince George’s County office and brings a perspective from over twenty years of private and public practice. She holds degrees in biodiversity management from the University of London Wye College and in landscape architecture from the University of Georgia. Outside of NDC, Marita loves to kayak wherever blue herons hang out.

Allie O’Neill

Allie leads the Prince George’s office’s Community Design Works program, connecting interested professionals and motivated community members to complete a wide range of projects. With a background in architecture, Allie has more than a decade of residential design experience, often working in historically landmarked neighborhoods. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Architecture degree from the Catholic University of America and certificate in Sustainable Urban Design from Archeworks. A belief in the power of design to improve lives and create independent, resilient communities is an underlying force in all of Allie’s work. Outside of the office, you can find Allie exploring the DC area on her bike.

Dana Puzey

Program Manager
Enterprise Development DirectorPrince George’s County Officedpuzey@ndc-md.org(301) 850-1724

Dana is responsible for securing and managing the grants and contracts at the Neighborhood Design Center for both the Prince Georges County and Baltimore offices. Ms. Puzey began her post graduate career in Baltimore City in 2009, working with residents and communities to identify stormwater problems and site stormwater BMPs. In 2015, Dana joined NDC to oversee the organization’s urban forestry work in Prince George’s County. Her work evolved to include grant and contract management for both offices. Throughout her career, she has focused on program development and financial management. Dana received a Bachelor’s degree from Elon University in Environmental Studies and a Master’s degree from Virginia Tech in Urban and Regional Planning. When she’s not at the office, Dana keeps busy by exploring parks and museums with her young children and husband.